Health & Nutrition Blog by Jorge Jurado

Category Archives: Food

Why Lemon Water?

Tired of boring tasteless water?! Lemon water, which has a refreshing sweet and tangy taste is a great way to stay hydrated throughout your busy days. Lemons, grown on trees known as Citrus Limon, are tiny nutritional powerhouses. They contain a large variety of nutrients such as Vitamin C, Calcium, Magnesium, Potassium, Fiber, etc. All these benefits for only 20 calories a glass!

1. Strengthens Immune System

Vitamin C is one of lemon’s most abundant vitamin. A single lemon contains 30-40mg of Vitamin C. Why is Vitamin C so important you may ask? Vitamin C is vital for growth and repair of tissues in all parts of our body. It is also one of many antioxidants which helps reduce damages by free radicals. Lemon water has been proven to effectively help with dealing with stress. In fact, vitamin C aids in clearing out cortisol, a primary stress hormone. High and constant levels of cortisol could be very damaging to the body as well as imparting cognitive performance, elevated blood pressure, sleep disruption, and many other negative effects.

2. Aids Digestion

It is quite normal from time to time to suffer from stomach problems. Lemon water can aid in digestion. Drinking a very hot glass of lemon water first thing in the morning will help in regulating natural bowel movements. By regulating these bowel movements you can avoid those nagging stomach problems and enjoy your meals to a larger extent!

3. Cleanses Your System

Hot lemon water can also be used as an effective cleanser for your body. Lemon water can serve as a natural diuretic which will promote eliminating harmful bacteria known to cause urinary tract infection. Additionally, because it acts as a natural (but gentle) diuretic it will help get rid of excess water weight and help with bloating (you should continue to hydrate regularly throughout the day).

4. Good Skin

Having a tough time dealing with acne? Lemon’s powerful source of Vitamin C and other anti-oxidants combats free radicals. Especially the damage by constant UV exposure. Lemon juice can be applied on scars and wrinkles to minimize and offset signs of aging.

5. Substitute For Coffee

Hooked on coffee? I find myself drinking up to four cups on very busy days, but drinking hot lemon water has proved to be an effective substitute. Try it for yourself and replace your morning cup of coffee with a glass of hot lemon water. It’s a great way to stay refreshed and energized for your busiest work days. Hot lemon water is a fantastic way of avoid that mid afternoon crash as well as becoming highly dependent on caffeine.

Lemon Water Challenge!

Who doesn’t love a challenge? I would like you to commit to a challenge that will improve your health as well as the way you feel. It’s simple! For the next 21 days, I want you to begin each morning by drinking a big hot glass of lemon water. The glass of hot lemon water should be drank within the 1 hour of waking up. It is important that you drink this before eating any meal. Trust me, you will see all the benefits unfold as the days pass. In addition, by adding a healthy habit to your morning routine you may see yourself having a more cautious approach to your eating habits.

You can make this a fun challenge by recording how you feel each day! Make sure to come back and comment on this post about any changes you’ve felt throughout and at the conclusion of the challenge.

Interested in other foods with amazing benefits? Read one of my recent posts on Super Foods

This past weekend, while on my 16 mile long run, I had a lengthy amount of time to start thinking of the perfect recipe to initiate my food section on Harmonious Eating. Miles later the perfect idea struck! I remembered my great love for those warm & sweet banana nut muffin freshly baked from my local bakery. While they are undeniably delicious, most bakers are more concerned about taste and not the nutritional value of the muffin. I decided to make my own healthier version of the banana nut muffin. It includes an untraditional approach to its normal ingredients, but it’s equally delicious and much more nutrition cautious!

After you have gathered all the necessary ingredients for the whole wheat honey banana nut muffins you will need to complete these 3 easy steps:

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees & line a muffin pan with either paper or silicone liners.

Grab a large bowl and whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder. After, make a well in the center of the flour and place your eggs, syrup, and butter. Next, mix with a fork and set aside to complete the next step.

Mash your two bananas together and then add your walnuts (optional). Then you will continue the process by folding this into the muffin batter. When all your ingredients are together you will finally distribute the muffin batter evenly into 12 muffin cups. Baking time is an approximate of 20-25 minutes. The muffins will start to get a golden brown, indicating your banana nut muffins are complete.

When the banana nut muffins are complete, grab a small cup and mix both honey and flax seed. When pouring, make sure to include more honey than flax-seed. Then gently spread your honey mix over the muffins until you reach your desired sweetness. The addition of honey will give this whole wheat banana nut muffin a natural sweet taste, and the flax seed will increase this treats nutritional value.

While there is a large selection of berries, you can’t go wrong with the acai berry. This exotic purple berry is most commonly found in the rain forests of South America. They are considered one of the best superfoods thanks to their extremely high levels of anthocyanin, a powerful compound that battles diseases caused by oxidative damage. Unfortunately these fresh berries aren’t so readily available at supermarkets just yet, but they are found in some frozen food sections as well in the forms of powder and tablets. Whole Foods offers a goji and acai juice blend, a quick and delicious way of getting your acai berry intake (see link below).

The Chia seed is the richest plant source of Omega 3 fatty acids and contains large amounts of fiber and calcium. This edible seed can be traced back to the Mayan and Aztec cultures, yet it is no surprise people still continue to include Chia seeds in their diets today. Due to their nutty flavor, they can easily be mixed in cereal as well as smoothies. This unprocessed and whole grain super food is one to definitely include in your everyday diet!

Including this nutrient packed seed into your meals will bring a multitude of benefits to your body. Quinoa is 15% protein which is double the amount usually found in other grains. It is generally associated with contributing to the gluten free diet, a treatment for people with celiac disease. It can also be included in a wide variety of recipes, making it a product that can be used in all meals throughout the day. Here is my favorite quinoa recipe that I always refer back to:

Are you a nut fan? Try walnuts! You don’t need a whole lot of this super food to enjoy its healthy doses of omega 3 fatty acids, copper, manganese, as well as alpha-linolenic. Most importantly, walnuts have a very rare form of Vitamin E called gamma-tocopherol which helps protect your heart from potential disease. While consuming this food in large portions is not recommended because they are high in calories, small portions of walnuts can be incorporated through out the day. Walnuts can be easily included in delicious smoothies and salads!

Salmon is one of the most nutrition packed fishes in the market. Like chia seeds and walnuts, this fish is high in Omega-3 fatty acids, which is a healthy fat that reduces your risk of Cardio Vascular diseases. As well other benefits such as increasing brain efficiency, preventing loss of vision, and improving metabolism. If the vitamins and minerals in this delicious fish don’t convince you, the 22 grams of protein per every 3 oz sure will!